This invention relates generally to the means and methods for controlling conditions of the air of an environment and relates, more particularly, to the vents through which air is moved by an air handling system into an environment within which the conditions of the air are desired to be controlled.
Vents, also known as registers, for communicating, or conducting, air from the duct or conduit of an air delivery system into an environment, such as a room of a building, are well known in the art. Such vents commonly include a body having a passageway therethrough for receiving air from the duct or conduit and defining a plurality of vent openings which direct air flow into the environment. It is also common for such vents to include a closure mechanism, such as a louver mechanism, which permits the volume of air communicated into the environment by way of the vent openings to be selectively controlled. It would be desirable to provide such a vent which is adapted to support condition-altering mediums, such as a filter, through which the air is permitted to pass in order to condition the air in a desired manner before the air enters the environment.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a new and improved vent device through which air is discharged into an environment by an air-delivery system wherein the device is adapted to support a condition-altering medium through which the air is permitted to pass as the air enters the environment.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a vent device wherein a condition-altering medium can be readily installed within or removed from the device.
Still another embodiment of the present invention is to provide such a vent device wherein a condition-altering medium positioned therein can be used to alter the flow of air permitted to exit the vent device.
Yet another embodiment of the present invention is to provide such a vent device which is well-suited for holding a filter for filtering unwanted materials, such as dust and pollen, from the air as the air enters the environment.
A further embodiment of the present invention is to provide such a vent device which is uncomplicated in construction and effective in operation.